OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AR CHDIOCESE OF PERTH, Registered at the G.P.O., Perth, for transmission by post as a newspaper.
ESTABLISHED 1874. 'PHONE B6950
PERTH, WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1946.
NO. 2,238.
450 Hay Street,
Perth, Box A35, G P.O., Perth.
PRICE THREEPENCE
SEVENTY-THIRD YEAR
"Already a few weeks ago," the German prisoners of war are still astoral said, "we felt bound to being kept back indefinitely, often give our opinion on the revolting under miserable conditions and deproceedings in eastern Germany, prived of their freedom. especially in Silesia and the Sude"Hundreds of thousands, if not ten region, where more than 10 millions, are put like slaves to millions of Germans are most bru- forced labour, although the only tally driven from their ancestral thing with which they can be rehomes without any investigation, proached is the fact that they 'The Bishops in drawing up this whether personally guilty or not." were soldiers." ' Joint Pastoral have but echoed (These regions are occupied or Quoting an eye -witness report in the sentiments not only of Ger- 'dominated hi- the Soviet Union.) the Swiss Catholic newspaper, man Catholics and many nonMany unbiassed observers repre- "Apologetische Blaetter," the Nazi Germans, but also those of senting different nations and reli- Vatican Radio in many Americans and other Allied gions, have depicted terrible con- guage broadcast a German -landeclared that officials in Germany, who have ditions in eastern Germany, and conditions among refugees and felt for a long time that the poli- their reports are similar to what displaced persons in eastern Gercies of the occupational Powers the Bishops now say: many are "appalling both from are open to severe criticism on a "No pen can describe the dread- the physical and spiritual view'Tor the sake of good relations," the Bishops of Mainz, Fulda, good many counts. ful misery caused here by the dis- point." Of four to five million and Limburg, whose dioceses are located wholly or partly in the Not Convincing, regard of all humaneness and jus- refugees in that area 20 to 30 per American zone of occupation in Germany, have agreed to withdraw The arguments advanced by the tice. All these people are crowd- cent. are Catholics, the broadcast the Pastoral which was decided upon by the Hierarchy of western American authorities in justifica- ed closely together in the remain- said. Germany at a conference at Werl Westphalia, on March 27, 1946, tion of their steps to have the ing parts of Germany without According to and was to be read from all pulpits within their jurisdiction on Pastoral "withdrawn"-no matter any property whatsoever, without 40 to 50 persons the eye witness, die each week in Easter Monday. The Bishop of Mainz, however, let it be known how "voluntarily''-are not con- any posibility of gaining their live- each refugee camp of 3,000 to 4,000 that he will address a letter to the Allied Control Council in Berlin, vincing. As a matter of fact, lihood. inmates. The eastern zone of expanding on the Pastoral in order to stress its highlights which the British authorities do not ap"It is hard to imagine how Reich has been thoroughly the plunhe is anxious to bring to the special attention of the occupational pear to subscribe to them, for these vast numbers, driven from dered, thousands of children have they have not raised any objec- their homes. may be prevented gone without Powers, tions to the Pastoral being made from turning into quarrelsome and women who schooling for a year, had been previously They have peace -breaking elements." Voluntary Withdrawal. cause the Pastoral deals concisely public in their zone. subjected to brutal violence are stated, without hesitation, that Captain Dumont F. Kenny, with four major grievances which Other sections of the Pastoral arable to bear healthy chiMren, formerly of New York, now Reli- have no less emphatically been they prefer the issues and griev- suppressed by the American occu- venereal disease is widespread, and ances to be in vented public rather gious Affairs Officer of the Military voiced by other pastorals in the pation authorities deal with the doctors and medicine are lacking. than seeing so important a docu- land expropriation measures takGovernment of Greater Hesse, arious zones. Depicting "transfer" of over five ment suppressed or withdrawn- en in eastern Germany as land millions with offices in Wiesbaden, said from the eastern proith the result that it would then "reform." While fully The American authorities feel that the Bishop of Limburg had admitting vinces to new residences in westsent the text of the Pastoral to that the objections raised by the be circulated privately and clan- that unequal distribution of land ern Germany, the Vatican Radio American authorities five days be- Bishops do not concern the Am- destinely, thus doing more harm "is one of the deepest sources of c'eclared: fore its planned release, but that erican so much as the other occu- from the Allied point of view than social abuses" and stating their Ultimate in Plundering. readiness to co-operate in bring- "Their the document had not been re- pation authorities. Specifically, if it were read from the pulpits. suffering is immense and In th meantime, however, the ing about a better distribution, ceived until after the holidays. It American officials point out, that the horrible. It cannot be expressed appears from this information that the complaints of the Bishops Pastors has been read in the dio- Bishops say that "what is hap- in figures. One must have seen the Bishops meant to apprise Al- about ruthless expulsion of Ger- ceses of Cologne, Aachen, Muen- pening now in East Germany has the plight-trains packed with lied occupation officials or their mans from the eastern provinces ster, Osnobrueck, Ilildesheim and hardly anything to do with a true people plundered both spiritually of the Reich and about so-called Paderborn, where the British are land reform." contemplated move. and materially. Their cry for "When we pointed out," Captain agrarian reform apply, in the 'n charge, and no such threat to They also express themselves as material help is reinforced by a security seems to have arisen. opinour "that, in main, to the Russian zone: that Kenny added, profoundly disturbed cry "by the for dispriests-priests who could It would seem there is only one ion, the Pastoral contained cer- the complaint about injustices sufmissal of thousands of officials and help them die humanely and give tain inaccuracies, the Bishops vol- fered by German prisoners of war alternative: Either the complaints managers without a them moment's noa untarily withdrew the Pastoral so should be addressed to the French 1,f the Bishops are justified or they tice, without judicial authority, by PersonsChristian burial.' here express wonder far as it was practicable at that Government: and that the com- are not. If they are unjustified, their being deprived of freedom why, instead of examining the time. Consequently, it was read plaint about lack of discrimination measures should he taken to have without any possibility of merit self-deof these charges the conditions corrected from and doing only at a few small places in our in carrying out the denazification fence, without any communication something about them, American policies does not appear justified, which the complaints arose. zone. with their nearest relatives." authorities seem to If be the Bishops to were attempting ignore "We did not ask for the Pastoral so far as the Americans are conFinally, the Bishops say-expres- to conceal them and screen their to be withdrawn," Captain Kenny cerned. In the American zone it such conditions they would he un- sing views identical with those perpetrators by suppressing the said, "but simply suggested that is pointed out the denazification true to their high office. There stated by the Holy Father on charges as 'offensive and derogatsome of its criticisms of A meri- measures have only recently been is every reason to believe that this numerous occasions: ory to the Allies,' " can policy be reconsiderd in the turned over to German authori- latter view is Shared by many Resentment also is being exSense of Injustice, It is ties, providing, at the same time, competent and well-informed Amlight of our observations. "The German sense of justice pressed that the sense of Ameriour policy that pastorals and other ample opportunity for a proper ericans, Frenchmen and British also suffers from the fact that to- can justice and fair play seems to pronouncements by church au- hearing for those who consider now stationed in Germany day, almost 12 months after the be disgracefully compromised in thorities shall not he subjected to themselves unfairly dealt with. "Offensive" Passages. previous censorship, and, of course, Following are some excerpts cessation of hostilities, millions of the eyes of the world. While this is, undoubtedly, cor from the Pastoral. Reading these we did not exercise any threat." rect, it is also true that grievou it becomes even more incompre"Inaccuracies." The "inaccuracies" to which Cap- mistakes have been, and are being hensible why U.S. Military Govtain Kenny referred are, in reality, made in connection with all thes ernment officials should have debut a matter of what one might problems-in the American as wel clared the pastoral to be "offenterm apportionment between the as in the British, French and Rus sive and derogatory to the Alvarious zones of occupation, l'e sian zones. lies."
Why the German (Bishops (Pastoral Was Withdrawn Strong Criticism of Policy of Occupation Powers Bad Conditions in Russian Zone
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ANNUAL
1
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CATHIO LIC IJall MONDAY,
AUGUST
12,
1946
EMBASSY BALLROOM WILLIAM STREET,
PERTH.
Presentation of Debutantes to His Excellency the Lieutenant ernor at 8.45 p.m. TICKETS: 8/6 Single (no tax).
Dancing: 8.30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Booking Opens at Embassy, 9 a.m. July 15, 1946.
DELIGHTFUL SUPPER. Tickets at Nicholson's, Pellegrini's, Embassy, and N.C.G.M. The complications of the two sets of lovers are resolved in the Fif th Act of 'Twelfth Night," which was recently presented at the Repertory Theatre by the se nior boys of St. Louis Jesuit School, Claremont,
Gov-
ADMISSION BY TICKET ONLY